


little pockets of peace

by tkreyesevandiaz



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Dad Evan "Buck" Buckley, Domestic Fluff, Eddie Diaz's A+ Parenting, Emotional Eddie Diaz, Family Fluff, First Kiss, Getting Together, Healthy Communications, Love Confessions, M/M, More Waffles, Self-Indulgent, Sentence Starter Fic, Sleepy Boys, Soft Eddie Diaz, This is truly very fluffy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24637912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tkreyesevandiaz/pseuds/tkreyesevandiaz
Summary: Eddie comes home after a long shift to Buck and Christopher, and the last of his control breaks.Sentence Starter:“i’ve loved you for years.”
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 67
Kudos: 722





	little pockets of peace

**Author's Note:**

> I hate summaries, which is why that one is so bad, I'm sorry :( Again, this fic is kind of self-indulgent xD
> 
> I've been struggling a lot with my writing lately, and feeling a lot like it's just...trash. So I needed to write a little (lot) fluff. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this! It got away from me but soft boys and soft kisses are my weakness so I do hope y'all like it!
> 
> This prompt was requested by @desertwytch on Tumblr!

“Shh!” 

That was definitely Christopher’s voice muffled under the mountains of blankets and an enormous amount of giggles. The pile started shaking, under what could only be the behemoth that was Buck’s body laughing. “Your dad’s going to kill me," he hissed. 

Eddie listened to all this with a tired smile on his face, amused to high heaven as he leaned against the door jamb of the room.

“He’s not gonna know if we don’t tell him!” 

Eddie rolled his eyes, one-hundred percent convinced that his son was the devil on Buck’s shoulder because his best friend had never learned to say no. Christopher could tell Buck to exorcise a demon and waltz with it and Buck would happily do it.

“Now I know you want to get me kicked out of the Diaz house.” There was a beat of silence, then another burst of bright laughter from both of them.

He wondered how long he could indulge himself in this not-sight of the two most important people in his life without them noticing.

“Come on, Buck! Just one more,” Christopher pleaded. Eddie could practically see Buck’s resolve breaking in front of him, tangible as anything he’d ever seen. Whatever it was that Christopher was asking for, he was one more plea away from getting it. And the kid knew it.

He rolled his eyes again, hard enough that it hurt. While he waited for Buck’s reply to the genuine attempts at negotiation, he drank in the sight of his son’s once-clean bedroom. 

Every single blanket in the house was draped in the room, balanced precariously from the desk to the bed. The weight of the thicker ones weighed the makeshift roof down, but Eddie could clearly make out at least Buck’s head from the pile. The “entrance” to the fort was somewhere off to the side, where he couldn’t see it from the door.

The blanket fort was illuminated by one of the emergency lamps, faint light spilling onto the striped carpet and from the littering of empty wrappers, they’d _clearly_ been having the time of their lives already.

“This is like asking me to choose between you and your dad, because Eddie’s never gonna forgive me if I do this and you’re never going to forgive me if I don’t. I can’t do it!”

“But you’re my best friend, so you _have_ to listen to me.”

Yup, good as done.

“Christopher Micah-Adrian Diaz,” he finally spoke up, wiping the amusement off his face so he didn’t give himself away. 

Eddie folded his arms and watched as all movement under the fort froze, raising an eyebrow when twin heads of curls peeked out sheepishly from the bottom of the tent.

“Care to explain?” He kept his gaze looking between both culprits in front of him, identical looks of pure innocence on their faces as they crawled out of their little habitat and sat sulkily in front of him. 

“Well…” Buck started, reaching back underneath the covers to pull out a thankfully-mostly-full pan of brownies, before peering up at him with the same eyes that let him get away with _everything_.

There were maybe two brownies gone, which made him feel the tiniest bit better. Eddie huffed out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling, counting to ten.

The second he got Buck to come over to watch Christopher during a last-minute shift, he knew he was going to come home to _something_ not being quite right. The entire house smelling like Buck’s famous baked treats and the full sink proved that. And he wasn’t quite sure how they were planning to hide it from him when there was chocolate smudged all over their faces.

Christopher had Buck wrapped right around his little fingers and Buck fell for the trap hook, line and sinker _every single time_.

It exasperated Eddie to no end, because Buck spoiled Christopher. Still, he couldn’t help the feeling of his heart being ten times too big for his body at coming home to _this_ . It made fondness wash over him and paint his skin in harrowing shades of vibrancy and longing that Eddie wasn’t sure he could hide from Buck if he _tried_. 

There was a domesticity that was far too potent for Eddie to push down like he normally did, exhausted and vulnerable as he was. The last of his inhibitions stripped clean of his skin as he stared at Buck and Christopher; both of which were busy whispering to each other furiously while Eddie came to the realization that he’d been silent too long.

“Christopher. How many times do we have to talk about this? How many times have I told you not to take advantage of Buck’s kindness?” Eddie said, rubbing his forehead. His son looked down, clearly ashamed. As much as Eddie hated doing this, it was important to teach a kid to respect rules that were put in place to help them. He could see the defense building on his best friend’s face already, but silenced him with one pointed look. “And Buck? Seriously?”

“Eddie, I promise I didn’t give him another one!” he exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders innocently. Still, he wouldn’t look at Eddie, stealing gazes the same way Christopher was, even as he tried to defend him.

The sight made his heart squeeze, and his lips kicked up a notch but he quickly flattened it to keep up the act.

“You were two seconds from it. Don’t even try to lie to me, Evan Buckley, I know you too well.”

The 28-year-old man was full-on pouting and was it really possible for someone to look so damn _adorable_? 

It took everything in Eddie to keep a straight face and remember that he was supposed to be _scolding_ them here.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed and held his hands up placatingly. “Okay. Three things. One, rules are put in place for a reason, and having more than one dessert at night is just plain unhealthy and it stops you from sleeping well. Two - and Buck, you and I are _definitely_ going to have a conversation about this later - but Chris, when you know I’ve already said no to certain things, wiggling it out of the next person is not okay.” 

Buck winced at the prospect of that conversation, but stayed mum, picking absently at a dried bit of batter on the side of the pan.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Christopher mumbled, then paused. “What’s the third thing?” 

Eddie stayed quiet for a bit, looking between the two halves of his heart before cracking a smile. “You’re not gonna share?”

Both of them heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief as Eddie stepped into the room, slipping his watch off to take a seat next to Christopher. He was still in jeans and his work shirt, and sitting down made him feel like he’d never get up again, but just being here under this fort with his two favourite people in the entire world made the horrible day a little better.

Buck passed him a napkin with a brownie on it, a shy grin on his face, the way he got whenever he shared anything he cooked even though the Diaz household was more than used to his cooking. Eddie broke off a little piece of it to share with Chris, winking at him to make sure the kid didn’t go to sleep thinking his dad was mad. 

Both of them watched him carefully as he took a bite, leaning in comically to monitor his every expression. Even as self-conscious as he was, Eddie couldn't help the groan that escaped his throat around the delicious mouthful. “Buck, I’ll _pay_ you to make these for me every week.”

Buck only laughed, sharing a high-five with Christopher. “They get made every week regardless, because of this one. You two give me practice.”

Eddie only shook his head, finishing the last morsel. “Feel free to practice here anytime. Put that key to good use.”

“Stop endorsing dessert-motivated breaking and entering,” Buck snorted, well-acquainted with Eddie’s love for sweets. 

“S’not breaking and entering when you have a key.” 

Christopher giggled at their banter but dove into telling him all about school and his and Buck’s evening. Eddie listened on with a content smile, wiping crumbs away on the wet wipe. Then his mind got stuck on the fact that there was a _wet wipe_.

Buck really thought of everything.

He looked over at the blond man who was joking along with Chris as if he hadn’t heard all of it before, which sent another frisson of warmth through his battered bones. 

Eddie smiled to himself as Christopher let out another huge yawn amidst his regaling of the brownie baking escapade, as if he couldn’t see the proof for himself smeared all over his kitchen.

“Think it’s time for bed, kiddo. We’re going to have to brush those teeth extra today,” He said, heaving himself up. 

“I’ll get started in the kitchen,” Buck told them, ruffling Chris’ hair and squeezing Eddie’s shoulder on his way out.

“Are you mad at Bucky?” Christopher asked quietly as they started getting ready for bed, toothbrush in hand.

“What? No, not at all. I promise. I’m not mad at either of you.” Eddie knelt down in front of Chris. “Look, buddy, the only reason I tell you things is because I love you, I care for you and I don’t want you to develop bad habits. And that’s the same reason Buck says no, even if he isn’t as used to it as I am. If you think something’s unfair, we can talk about it. I’m not perfect and neither are you. Neither is your Bucky, even though the jury’s still out on that one.” That got Chris to crack a smile. 

“I promise you kid, I’m not mad. I’m not upset. And I’m not about to go yell at Buck.”

“Good. Because if you yell at Buck, I have to protect him.”

Eddie’s eyebrows shot up so fast. It seemed that the entire Diaz clan was ready to rally behind one Evan Buckley. “I wasn’t going to yell at him at all, but I’m sure he appreciates the protection.”

“He does,” Buck said from the doorway, a light flush across his cheeks. “I-uh...your phone’s ringing.”

 _Cute_ , went Eddie’s uninhibited brain.

“I’ll be right out, thanks.” He stood up, wincing as his leg muscles stretched. The shift had left him sore in places he didn’t even know he could be sore. 

“Are you okay?” Buck asked, out of earshot from Christopher. 

“Yeah, the shift was hell though. Nothing bad, just a long string of the city of LA doing the stupidest things possible. Someone thought it was a good idea to stick the nozzle of a silly string can up his nose, and it was a _mess_. I _hate_ the shifts where you aren’t there, honestly.” 

Bobby and Hen had struggled so hard to contain their laughter, even as they helped the guy get into the ambulance. Chimney and Eddie were too bone-tired and cranky to find it remotely amusing, but they’d known that the Buckley siblings would find it funny.

True to it, Buck laughed loudly at the mental image. “Yeah, I know. I hate those too, and I’m working one tomorrow.”

“Only partially. I’ll be there at the start of your shift.”

“Starting a shift isn’t a problem. It’s ending one alone that is. I can only take so many of Chim’s jokes or Bobby’s advice before I pass out,” he scoffed, gesturing towards the phone. “Better pick that up. It’s been going off for the past five minutes.”

Eddie didn’t even recognize the number, but he picked up, only to be mistaken as one Lucy Bennett. It took him ten minutes to tell the other lady that he wasn’t a Lucy, he didn’t know a Lucy and did he really sound like a Lucy?

“Stupid spam callers,” he grumbled, joining Buck at the sink to start drying dishes. His patience was non-existent at this point in the day, and the unwarranted phone call interrupting his time with his boys just set his nerves alight.

“C’mon Lucy, it can’t be that bad.” At least Buck was getting a kick out of it, if the highly-amused tone was anything to go by. Eddie didn’t justify that with an answer, but rolled his eyes at the thinly-veiled laughter in the crinkle of Buck’s eyes and the stretch of his dimple.

It was these quiet moments he got to steal for himself; the sight of Buck rumpled and imperfect in sleep clothes and ungelled hair, moving around Eddie’s house with all the ease that he moved around his own apartment. This was a version of Buck that the younger man had gifted to him, the same way Eddie gave Buck parts of him that he would die before letting anyone outside his son see.

These moments gave Eddie a reprieve from the responsibilities that seemed to pile on one after another, They vanished all his exhaustion with one look, and made him want to burrow into the warmth of these stolen pockets of time. He didn’t remember ever being this content.

They worked in a companionable silence for a while, before Buck spoke up. “Are you mad at me for the brownie thing?”

He mentally smacked himself for not talking to Buck immediately about it, even though he’d known the man would agonize over it. “Not at all, I was just going to talk to you about learning to say no to Christopher. I meant it when I said that there isn’t anyone I trust with him more than you. Even if you _had_ given him the extra dessert, I wouldn’t have been mad, because I know you wouldn’t do anything to harm Chris. I just don’t want him to learn and take advantage of the fact you’re not used to saying no to him.”

“He gives me those patented Diaz eyes, and I _cannot_ say no to them, okay? They’re so adorable and cute and I refuse to learn to say no,” Buck insisted, passing him the last plate and leaning back against the sink. They were still standing close, Buck’s hip brushing his own faintly. 

He laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I know those. You can’t say no to me, either. My kid learns the best from me.” Buck hip-checked him for the cheeky comment but continued.

“ _Anyway,_ he’s the sweetest kid on the planet, Eds, he could never take advantage of your rules.”

Eddie hummed in agreement as he swiped the washcloth, mind short-circuiting at his best friend’s proximity. “He’s also not perfect. We’re playing the good cop, bad cop routine here. I say no, you don’t, and somewhere between the two of us, he confesses his crimes and learns a lesson.” He was more than aware how much this sounded like a co-parenting thing, and by the curious, hopeful look on Buck’s face, he knew it too. 

So Eddie plowed on. “Chris knows I’m gonna enforce certain rules and sometimes, he wants to rebel against them. I know I did. But trust me, it took me forever to stop giving in to his every demand. It’s something every parent learns.”

“Eddie…” Buck trailed off, a question in big, bold letters in the lingering silence.

“I know what I said, Buck.” Buck was his co-parent, his best friend, and a whole bunch of things all wrapped in a 6’2” package. “There’s a lot to explain and unpack right this second, but I meant it.”

There was a time where Eddie was beyond confused as to why Buck preferred to spend his time with him and Chris, knowing he could probably be doing everything single, young adults did: clubbing, dating, drinking, etc. 

Instead, it took a few sessions of introspection that the three of them gravitated to each other because they found a family. Eddie struggled the most with the realization that Buck _wanted_ to be a part of the Diaz household. He wouldn’t be here on the dot at 6 every Wednesday night, or he wouldn’t be here watching Chris every time Eddie had a shift if he didn’t want to. Point in case, it was Friday night and Buck was in his kid’s room making blanket forts instead of doing whatever it was single people did.

The more and more he came home to his favourite people, the more Eddie _pined_ , in Hen’s words. It was a need to come home to this every single day, in the best way possible. It was also the startling realization that he wanted Buck as his partner in a lot more ways than just work.

It wasn’t like this was a new thing for Eddie; he thought of the same ideal future every time he so much as glanced at Buck. But today, that ideal future was starting to turn into more of a reality in the face of the last dregs of his energy, and Eddie was leaning right into it. His inhibitions and insecurities seemed to have taken the backseat today, tethered as he was to the adamant need to do _this_ right by Buck. 

Then, he noticed the chocolate smudge still on the side of Buck’s smiling mouth and the last of his control just _broke_.

“Buck,” he whispered, tilting his best friend to face him. Buck stared at him, expression completely open, albeit confused. “Can I…?”

Eddie wasn’t sure what he was asking, or what Buck read on his face, but the younger man gave an imperceptible nod of his head. That was all Eddie needed to press his lips to the corner of his mouth, cradling his jaw with one hand. Buck sucked in a breath as his arms came around Eddie’s waist to hold him closer. The chocolate tasted sweeter off Buck’s skin, and with one feather-light brush of his tongue, Eddie was pulling away.

The two men stood silently for a while, Eddie’s hand still gingerly tracing patterns on Buck’s face. It made sense that it all came to head at such a soft moment.

His best friend’s gaze roamed every inch of his expression, looking for clues to something Eddie wasn’t privy to. He hated that he’d made his best friend doubt whatever this was between them, but before he could say anything, Buck spoke up.

“Eddie, look...if this is something you’re doing just because you’re tired, or-or…” he stammered out, a guarded look in his eye. It was a stark contrast to how Buck normally was with them. So Eddie did what he knew best, and used his actions to let Buck know that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Yeah, I kiss the chocolate off everyone’s faces,” he said lightly, pressing a thumb where his mouth had just been. Buck’s lips quirked up at the wry quip, but he fell silent, watching Eddie cautiously. “No. No, I meant that too. I love you, Buck. **I’ve loved you for years.** I just...couldn’t hold back anymore.”

The silence stretched between them, taut with tension. Eddie felt like he would vibrate out of his skin, and in a mild panic, he thought that he’d read all the signs wrong and he’d just lost the best thing to ever happen to him after Christopher.

“You’re an idiot if you think I don’t feel the same,” he said finally, relief flooding Eddie’s body as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh, opening them to a mildly-bemused Buck.

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Buck grinned, dragging him into a proper kiss. Eddie smiled against his mouth, but quickly gave in to the heat of Buck’s body, even with the damp hands soaking through his shirt. “I love you, too. Just waiting for you to catch up.” 

It really was that easy with Buck.

“I’ve been caught up, just too scared to say it,” he smiled, nuzzling Buck’s nose once before pulling away to wipe his hands on a washcloth. “Are you staying tonight?”

“Well...Christopher and I were _supposed_ to have a sleepover in his room today, but we were going to ask you first.” As if on cue, the sound of Christopher’s crutches echoed through the still house.

Naturally, his son added onto it the second Eddie looked back at him, unfazed by how close he and Buck were standing. “Bucky and I were going to sleep in the blanket fort, but he said we have to ask you first. Can we, Daddy?”

It was going to be hell on Buck’s back and he had a late shift tomorrow. Eddie looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “It’s your back’s funeral, but I don’t have a problem with it if you don’t.”

Buck and Christopher let out equal whoops of excitement, Christopher already herding Buck back to his room. Eddie watched them go, Buck turning back to wink at him before the bedroom door shut behind them.

A bubble of gleeful laughter rose in his throat as his chest constricted with all this happiness, one of the purest feelings he ever remembered having. Suddenly, the stillness of the house didn’t seem so daunting anymore.

Knowing Buck had Chris, Eddie walked into his room to take a much-needed long shower, standing under the hot spray to let it work out the knots.

As he stood there, his mind wandered over to what Buck had said. 

_“Just waiting for you to catch up.”_

Eddie supposed it was true. What had they even been waiting for? 

Even looking around the bathroom, he could pinpoint at least five things that were Buck’s. His shampoo and conditioner, an extra bottle of his _specific_ hair gel, those stupidly-fluffy towels Buck liked, his aftershave, his razor, his toothbrush. 

He knew that when he’d walk back to his room to get clothes, one side of the dresser was reserved for Buck’s clothes, an extra uniform, even goddamn _underwear_. The kitchen had his favourite tea, favourite snacks and ingredients Eddie wouldn’t know how to use even if someone slapped him upside the head with clear-cut instructions.

He wasn’t sure when all of it started accumulating in the house, but it certainly was a warmer feeling to have that mix of his, Christopher’s _and_ Buck’s stuff around. The place felt more like home now.

And Eddie was turning into a sap.

He laughed to himself as he dressed in the softest pair of clothes he owned before going to check on the two co-conspirators in the other room.

The sight that greeted him knocked all the wind out of his lungs, and suddenly, Eddie had never been more thankful for the phone in his hand.

Buck was lying on his back, closest to the door where the blanket fort was now opened up to more of a simple roof, probably for Eddie’s benefit. Christopher’s little body snuggled half on top of him as soft snores escaped the boy, already fast asleep from the activities of the day. Buck’s hand was absently running through Christopher’s curls as he hummed under his breath, having not noticed him standing in the doorway yet.

Eddie took advantage and took a few pictures before quietly padding into the room, kneeling down next to Buck. His best friend blinked up at him before giving him a soft smile, weary on the edges with sleep.

He couldn’t resist leaning down and pressing a light kiss against his mouth. “I love you, so much.”

Buck laughed quietly but curled his fingers into Eddie’s collar to pull him back down as he whispered. “I know. But right now, can you take him and put him in his bed?”

“I thought you both were going to sleep here.” He raised an eyebrow, looking at how soundly asleep Chris was, ear pressed to Buck’s heart.

“It’s gonna hurt him, and he’ll be stiffer in the morning,” Buck explained. There were at least five blankets and comforters simply under Christopher, as compared to Buck’s one. Chris had a whole mattress right there, but the thoughtfulness warmed him.

Throat too thick for words to escape, Eddie stretched over Buck and lifted his son in his arms to settle him in his bed, taking one of the comforters Buck offered him and spreading it over his body.

“Come on, let’s go to my room,” Eddie whispered, lowering himself to kneel where Buck was lying on the floor, eyes closed now.

“Nah, I’ll sleep here tonight. He’s already gonna be pissed that we put him in his bed. And this is truly better than the bunks we have at the station.” There was no arguing with that; those bunks were old and had springs that stabbed them at every given opportunity. There wasn’t much to argue about during long shifts, but in the privacy of their own homes? All bets were off. 

The shower had given Eddie a small burst of energy, so he took a seat on the ground, smiling when Buck shifted to lay his head in his lap. Immediately, he carded his fingers through the soft curls, savouring the sigh of contentment that escaped Buck. Christopher was fast asleep and wouldn’t wake up if they spoke quietly. 

“We could’ve been doing this months ago,” Buck pointed out, wrapping his fingers under Eddie’s knee where he was sitting cross-legged. 

“I think we already were,” Eddie chuckled, smoothing massaging fingers over Buck’s brow, paying special attention to the gorgeous birthmark that adorned his left eye. “You know, the first time I saw your birthmark, all I wanted to do was kiss it. Even though you hated me.”

“I didn’t hate you,” Buck said automatically to the familiar premise, peeking one eye open to look at him with a shit-eating grin. “What’s stopping you now?”

Eddie shook his head but leaned down to kiss the red mark, trailing his fingers down Buck’s jaw. He laughed softly when Buck turned over and cradled the back of his neck to pull him into a proper kiss. The position was unbelievably awkward but Eddie was at peace here, exchanging soft kisses and murmured voices of love until both of them were too exhausted to stay awake. 

He waited until Buck settled back into his lap before speaking. “You know, I need you to understand that this is it for me, Buck. You...I already know that you’re the love of my life. And there’s a part of my brain that’s skeptical about how easy things are with you, but...I kind of can’t imagine us in any other way.”

He held his breath as Buck tilted his chin to look up at him, forcing himself to not look away. Perhaps the words were too much for two people who had their first kiss less than an hour ago. 

“Don’t be afraid to be open with me, Eds,” Buck started with, lifting a hand to brush against his cheekbone encouragingly. “It’s the same for me, but we’ve been skirting around for _years_. I can’t deny that I unconsciously fell into it because I was tired of having to hide how much I love you two. And this family is all I ever wanted. I want to grow old with you, Eddie. I wanna watch you gray while I stay young and sexy forever.” 

Eddie scoffed, tweaking Buck’s nose even as tears burned at the back of his eyes. “Leave it to you to ruin the moment.” His best friend’s eyes slipped closed, even as he smiled widely. “I want that, too. I walked into the house today thinking I wanted this forever.”

“Yeah. So, just asking…” Buck trailed off. Eddie waited but he didn’t continue. He dropped a hand to Buck’s neck, the calm rhythm of his pulse beating against the tips of his fingers.

“What?”

Buck’s eyes were still closed, even as he pressed into Eddie’s touch. “Would you...”

His heart near-stopped in his chest before he frowned at the words, spoken in drowsy, hesitant tones. “Would I what?”

Buck hesitated for just a second, opening his eyes briefly before turning his face into the crook of Eddie’s knee. “Marry me. You know. Sometime in the future. The full nine yards. Watching Chris grow up, maybe adding to the family, going to family dinners, walking hand-in-hand on the beachfront, sticking a bunch of pictures of our family around the house. Your family embarrasses you, Maddie embarrasses me, exchanging horrific childhood stories. Retire together, get a farmhouse or whatever it is old people do, an album with all of our adventures. A future _together_ , you know?”

Buck still wasn’t looking at him, but as Eddie slipped his fingers through the sparse hair behind his ear, he thought about what Buck was saying. He knew as well as Buck did that if they both weren’t as open and distracted as they were by the lure of sleep, neither of them would’ve had the guts to climb over the line they’d drawn inadvertently. And Buck would’ve never confessed this. 

As the words sunk in, a wave of potent longing for that future hit him, leaving him dizzy and reeling. 

Eddie suddenly remembered a similar call, early into their friendship; Mitchell and Thomas. He asked Buck the same now. “Was it that old couple that made you want that?”

Buck exhaled slowly, before tilting his head back to look at him. “Kind of. Eddie, they lived such a vivid life with one another. They fought to be able to stay together, and those things put a strain on a relationship, but they _stayed_ together. You should’ve seen the photos in their album, each documenting a new adventure they took. I couldn’t even fathom what that type of love was back then, because I thought that those fairy-tale love stories were ones that people _found_ . And Thomas told me that you _made_ that type of love. I guess it just stuck.”

“I’d like to believe that we made it, too,” Eddie admitted quietly. Buck blinked up at him, frozen; he probably hadn’t thought that Eddie would’ve agreed. “Or we’d make it, anyway. I told you, you’re it for me, Evan. Maybe we’re not as old as they were, but if life grants us that time, I can see us growing old together.”

And it was true. He could see him and Buck in twenty, thirty, even fifty years from now. He could picture their family, could picture having one or two other kids. “That future you were talking about, I see it, too. And it’s scary for sure, because...because I’ve never been able to do that. You know, see something that’s meant for me so vividly and definitely not so soon. But I can with _you_.”

Buck squirmed a little before sitting up and crossing his legs in front of Eddie, a wide grin stuck to his face. “I did once read that the scariest risks are the most worth it.”

Eddie cracked a smile as Buck took his hand in his own, knees pressed into one another’s. “This wasn’t a conversation I thought I’d have sitting in Christopher’s room while he sleeps behind us.”

Buck chuckled softly, dragging a nail along his palm. “Yeah, me neither. But I’m glad we talked about it. I just...needed you to know that. Didn't imagine myself saying it this way, but I’m all in with you two, Eddie.”

Those three little words came easier to Eddie when he was saying them to Buck, he found. And now that he could say them out loud, he thought he’d never stop. Case in point, they were already on his lips again.

“I love you,” he declared softly, pulling Buck in for one last kiss, smiling against his mouth before getting up.

“What, you’re not sleeping here?”

“And break my back? No,” Eddie scoffed.

Buck rolled his eyes but laid down, snuggling back into the mountains of blankets. “It’s your loss. I’m a great cuddler.”

“I’m sure you are, but that’s not something I’m about to discover on the floor of Christopher’s room,” he said, turning off the side lamp on his way out. “Good night, Buck.”

“G’night, Eds. Love you,” the younger man said sleepily, yawning in between the words.

As Eddie let the door shut behind him with a small _click_ , he couldn’t help the little happy dance that escaped him at the thought of Buck wanting an entire life with him.

It’s all he’d wanted too, and now…

Now, it was in his reach.

* * *

Buck woke up to a petulant nine-year-old shaking him.

“Buck, wake up!” Christopher already sounded cross, so Buck kept his eyes shut while he scrambled for his wits, trying to wake himself up as much as possible.

First came realizing that he was, in fact, not on Eddie’s couch; rather, he was on the carpet of Christopher’s room. Second was the reason why Christopher sounded disgruntled.

“Good morning, buddy,” he yawned blearily, stretching. The “roof” of their blanket fort had fallen on top of him at some time during the night, which was clearly why he was baking under all these blankets. “What time is it?”

“Six-thirty. You promised we could both sleep in the tent!” Chris looked put-off and the look on his face hurt Buck. It was too early for Christopher to look so mad.

“I know but I didn’t want your body to hurt in the morning, that’s all. So your dad and I put you in your comfortable bed after you fell asleep.”

Chris was silent for a minute. “Then why did you stay?”

“Well, I promised you a sleepover, right?” Buck held his breath as Chris mulled over it. After a few minutes, he gave a begrudged nod and crawled under the covers with him, where his makeshift mattress was still stacked.

“Yeah. But now you have to stay here,” he demanded in the sweetest voice ever, and as Chris snuggled closer to him, Buck thought to himself that it was too early to have his heart put through the grinder.

So he pulled an arm around Chris and fixed the covers over them, closing his eyes when Chris’ breathing evened out.

The second time he woke up, it wasn’t to anything in particular. Christopher was still curled into his side as he blinked his eyes open, somehow feeling even more exhausted than he had at 6:30.

A backwards glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table told him it was 8:25. Later than he normally slept in, but early enough that they wouldn’t have to rush through their Saturday shift.

Him waking up seemed to have roused Christopher as well, who nearly smacked him in the face as he stretched.

“Morning, Bucky,” he said drowsily, still half-asleep and yawning.

“Hey, buddy,” Buck replied, sitting up to rub at his eyes. He could already feel his back twinging, a reminder that he was fast approaching his thirties. 

He and Chris trudged out sleepily, only to find Eddie sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him, scrolling through his phone.

The sight of a sleep-wrinkled Eddie brought all of last night back and stopped Buck in his tracks, taking all the breath in his lungs and the floor beneath his feet with it.

Last night felt like a fever dream, even though he’d been awake for every single second of it. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that Eddie wanted the same things from him, the entire journey of life.

He hadn’t meant to confess that to Eddie last night, but just like he always did, he jumped headlong into it. The normalcy of the evening had broken his brain-to-mouth filter completely, bringing letters to his lips he wouldn’t have strung along otherwise. 

But the truth was, he couldn’t start anything with Eddie Diaz without letting him know how far he saw them. Because if they started something, and it didn’t work out because they had different expectations…

Buck wouldn’t survive losing _this_. Losing Eddie pressed against his side on calls, or baking brownies with Chris, or pretending not to be affected by their puppy dog eyes, or movie nights, or weekends out, or any of the thousand other things they did together. He’d rather stay in their lives as whatever they’d been doing before Eddie came home last night than not at all.

When he turned back to reality, Eddie was standing in front of him, looking at him concernedly. “Buck?”

“Yeah?” His voice sounded hoarse, more with emotion and less with sleep.

“You okay?”

He had to ask. “Last night...it wasn’t a dream, was it?”

Instead of replying, Eddie leaned in and kissed him. The rest of his harried panic melted away as he pulled his best friend closer.

That was before he remembered he probably had morning breath. He jerked back, almost comically, keeping his hands around Eddie’s waist.

The older man, in turn, laughed. “No. I woke up this morning thinking the same thing, which was before I went into Chris’ room to find you two curled up on the ground.”

“He woke me up at 6:30 to tell me that we shouldn’t have put him in his bed, and then proceeded to lay down next to me and promptly went back to sleep,” Buck told him, searching over Eddie’s shoulder for the kid.

“He’s in the bathroom. You want coffee?”

“Please,” Buck said, following Eddie into the kitchen. He hesitated before taking the plunge to ask. “For my peace of mind though, what are we?”

Eddie chuckled as he fixed Buck’s cup exactly the way he liked it. “What do you want to be?”

“Uh, no. I already made enough confessions in the past 12 hours to last me a lifetime. You tell me,” he snorted, taking a long drag of coffee as he leaned back against the sink, exactly where it’d all started.

When Eddie had reached up to him last night, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion but aware, Buck had thought that this was it. This was where the weak boundary between them was going to break, but he had no idea where the two of them would go from there.

Standing here now, sleep-rumbled and casual, Buck thought to himself that maybe there should be a little more apprehension or tension or whatever it was that came with the dreaded “what are we” question. Instead, there was that same charged calm between them; only this time, Buck could freely step into Eddie’s space and kiss him if he so wished. He could press touches into Eddie's skin, make his affection known to him.

“Well…” Eddie started, making an aborted movement to stand closer to him. He found himself grateful for that little space between them, because it’d help him think clearly. “We could start as boyfriends, work ourselves up to husbands. Build that life you outlined last night.”

Yup, Eddie had all of his heart.

“Boyfriends it is,” Buck declared happily, the last of his inhibitions melted. He drained his cup and went over to Eddie to pull into a proper kiss. “I love you,” he whispered into the older man’s ear as Eddie wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.

“Can you stop kissing so we can have breakfast now?” Christopher groaned, already seated. Buck _jumped_ out of Eddie’s grip, looking at him with wide eyes. Eddie, to his credit, only laughed loudly, holding onto the counter as Christopher’s giggles joined in.

“Yeah, buddy, what’s it gonna be?” he asked once he managed to get himself under control. Buck glared holes into the side of his head as Eddie shimmied past him.

“I want Buck’s waffles!”

“Hmm...coincidentally I was thinking the same thing.” His now-boyfriend said, sipping on his coffee expectantly.

“You two just want a chef. That’s all.” Buck pointed at the two of them, before pulling out bowls and ingredients.

“Nah, we want you forever. Right, Chris?” The words made Buck fumble with the whisk, looking at Eddie completely shocked to his core. He thought that he’d need some time to get his son warmed up to the mere idea of them dating.

Chris enthusiastically joined in with a "Yeah! Bucky's the best!" but he'd froze where he was standing.

Eddie must’ve read the question and surprise in his face, because his expression softened. As Chris shuffled off to watch cartoons while he waited, Eddie came over to drape an arm around his waist.

“Christopher’s been asking me to make you his other dad for a long, _long_ time. It’s not surprising to him. And even if it was, I wasn’t about to hide you.”

“I…” He didn’t know what to say so instead, he hugged his boyfriend close. “Thank you. God, Eddie, thank you.”

Eddie pulled back a little to look at him, a hand coming up to cup his face. “There’s nothing to thank me for, love. If anything, we’re the ones who need to thank _you,_ ” he said, gesturing to the kitchen around them. 

“I love you.” Buck kissed him before disentangling their limbs, moving around the kitchen to throw waffle mix together, easy as breathing after all these mornings of doing the same for them. As Eddie tried to sneak chocolate chips and kisses, Buck huffed and tasked him with cutting fruit. 

"I told you your back was going to hurt," Eddie said as he noticed Buck prop his hand on his back for what felt like the twentieth time this morning. Now that he was standing, there was definitely a dull ache in his lower back.

"Oh, stow it, Diaz. I think I'm suffering enough without your 'I told you so's'" Buck grumbled, relenting when Eddie's fingers came to press into the knots spanning the base of his spine, smoothing some of the ache away.

"Welcome to your thirties, my love," he teased, dodging away as Buck snapped a washcloth at him, still laughing. Buck shook his head but grinned at the unbridled sound echoing through the kitchen.

Christopher joined them as the first waffle came off the iron, giggling at Buck smacking the back of Eddie’s hand with a spatula for stealing yet another handful of chocolate chips.

Eddie gave up and went to sit at the table, but as Buck stared at the laughing Diaz boys, his heart swelled incredibly large in his chest, choking him with the force of all this love.

These two people were _his_. This was his family.

And Buck was happy. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! I've been struggling a lot with my writing lately, but I couldn't resist sharing this. I hope you all liked it!!
> 
> The original prompt list can be found [here](https://zeethebooknerd.tumblr.com/post/618398552326062080/prompt-list), and my inbox is always open for Buddie xD (it might take me a bit but I'll get there eventually xD)
> 
> Kudos and Comments make my day, so thank you to everyone who leaves them!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [zeethebooknerd](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/zeethebooknerd) or on Twitter at [tkreyesevandiaz](https://twitter.com/tkreyesevandiaz).


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